We have a 2012 Grand Prize Raffle Winner! You could win too...

Julie Hutchinson is RiverLink’s lucky 2012 grand prize winner of the “Save the French Broad Raffle.” She is pictured below with RiverLink’s Director of Volunteer Services Dave Russell, and her bounty of outdoor gear. Special thanks to Chuck Lee of The Adventure Collective, for compiling the 2011-2012 prize packages.

The grand prize package is valued at well over 1,000 dollars, and includes:

2 LEAF Festival Passes

Eno Doublenest Hammock

NEMO Obi 2 Tent

Solar Charger

Performance underwear

Performance socks

UV resistant outdoor shirts

Shoe Traction Spike system

Granger’s Water proofing and cleaning spray kit

The Adventure Collective Asheville Outdoor Adventure Guides

Don’t miss out on the next series of outdoor raffle drawings through RiverLink. The first available tickets for the 2012-2013 series will be sold at “RiverFest” on August 11. All names remain in the pot for the entire season of drawings, so if you don’t win the first 5 times then you know you will be in the Grand Prize drawing set for April 2013.

Tickets can be purchased on the RiverLink website, in the RiverLink office, at the Winter Warmer Beer Festival, or at special tabling events. Call Dave Russell, Director of Volunteer Services at (828)-252-8474 x11 for more information, or email volunteer@riverlink.org.

Last Grab Bag of May ...

Summer is here. Time to get those innertubes out and head down to the French Broad to cool off and have a good time with family and friends. A good innertube float could be from French Broad River Park to Jean Webb Park, or better yest, Jean Webb to The ByWater.  Before you head out, though, take a look at this collection of links and stories we think RiverLink supporters will find interesting and informative.
This does not come as a surprise, but should get more people to the River:
Warmer than usual summer predicted for Asheville

Conservation advocates seek to protect 399,000 acres in NC

Clayton agrees to buy, remediate contaminated land along Neuse River


Delayedharvest trout waters open June 2

EPA Announces $69.3 Million to Clean Up Contaminated Sitesand Revitalize Communities/Investment will protect people’s health and the environment, create jobs and promote economic redevelopment nationwide

Reel to Reel: Fish Stories Around the Globe

Deadline Approaches For National Water Pollution Conference

Fresh Water Demand Driving Sea-Level Rise Faster Than Glacier Melt

From National Geographic: These pics of the solar eclipse are mind-blowing

Scientists ask Rio+20 leaders to protect the bounty of the Seven Seas for future generations 

Ocean Issues Quiz: The Ocean Faces Threats From Many Sides, See Where You Stand On the Issues 

Bottled Water Is Booming Despite Opposition: Amid Environmental Campaigns, Product Sees Record Sales

Our pic of the week comes from Ken Abbott (http://www.kenabbottphoto.com/). Ken has been nice enough to let us use the pic to promote our RiverMUSIC series. 

Abbott earned an MFA in photography from Yale School of Art in 1987. For the past year he has been pursuing a long-held ambition to make “low elevation aerial photographs” (LEAP), using a tethered, helium-filled balloon/kite to lift a high-resolution digital camera to heights up to 500 feet. He has been using this system to photograph in Asheville as well as in lands set aside in conservation easements surrounding Asheville.

RiverMUSIC Series, Summer 2012

RiverLink announces RiverMUSIC -- a summer of sweet sounds by the water

ASHEVILLE, NC -- In their continuing effort to bring people down to the French Broad River to enjoy its splendor, RiverLink is hosting a series of live music performances beside the river this summer. Officially known as "RiverLink's RiverMUSIC Presented by New Belgium Brewing," the series will consist of five concerts at the RiverLink Sculpture and Performance Plaza, 117 Riverside Dr. Inspired by a grant from the Chaddick Foundation, RiverMUSIC is also sponsored by Pisgah Investments. New Belgium signed on as primary sponsor and will have a presence and supply beer at all the events.

All concert dates are Fridays -- June 29, July 13, August 3, August 24 and September 14 -- and all events start at 5:00 p.m. There will be beer from New Belgium, food trucks, live music from local and national acts, and the waters of the beautiful French Broad flowing right by the stage.

The lineup:

Friday June 29: From Brooklyn, NY, the 10-piece styling of Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, with special guests The Krektones and The Mad Tea.

Friday July 13: Bluegrass on the river with Sanctum Sully and special guests Bobby Miller & The Virginia Daredevils

Friday August 3: An evening with The 42nd Street Jazz Band

Friday August 24: Sirius B. with special guests The Blood Gyspies

Friday September 14: purveyors of the funk Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band with special guests The Fritz.

Attendees will be encouraged to leave their cars at home and get to the concerts via alternative modes of transportation. Asheville on Bikes will provide a bike corral for stowing bicycles. There is also a paddle-up option. Paddlers can easily float to the concerts or to nearby Jean Webb Park, a takeout point beneath the RiverLink Bridge, where they can lock their boats and walk to the concerts.

RiverLink is the regional non-profit working to revitalize the French Broad River and its tributaries as a place for everyone to live, work and play. This spring, New Belgium Brewing announced the opening of a new $175 million brewing operation in the River District of Asheville - from Craven Street to Haywood Road -- located right across the river from the concert venue.

RiverLink will be recruiting volunteers to do everything from sorting recycling to parking cars to pouring beer. Contact RiverLink's Dave Russell for more information -- 252-8474, ext. 11 or dave@riverlink.org -- about the series or about volunteering.

RiverLink Annual Fund Drive

RiverLink Annual Fund Drive goal: $200,000 by June 30

$111,262 already donated - thank you so much to the hundreds who have participated so far!

We only need $88,738 to meet our $200,000 goal by June 30.

With your help and  4 staff members and 2 AmeriCorps members, 600 volunteers and an active, prominent and engaged  board of directors - we are making the French Broad River watershed  the preferred destination for everyone to live, work and play.

Make your tax deductible donation or pledge today

Thanks for your support click here to visit our Web Page to make your tax deductible donation today.

We accept Master Card and Visa on our secure site.

...or snail mail RiverLink

PO Box 15488

Asheville, North Carolina 28813

...or call or email for more information

karen@riverlink.org

828-252-8474, ext 16

riverlink.org

Join our group birding outings June 2 and 16 on the river...

Haywood Tech Ornothology students birding in a pine forest

Come join RiverLink in June for morning birding outings along the Wilma Dykeman RiverWay. North America is home to 80 families, and 967 species of avian friends. Let’s see how many we can find!

Nothing in the natural world is more intricate and complex than the life history of birds. Embarking down the path to identifying and understanding these awe inspiring creatures is a long and exciting journey. Birds bring us daily joy with their stunning colors and their beautiful songs and calls.

The outings will be on June 2 and June 16. The groups for both days will meet at French Broad River Park at 7:00AM. Our feathered friends are early risers, and are most active and vocal during the first few hours of daylight, so birders must rise with the dawn as well.

The groups will focus on sight and song identification, and discussion on distinguishing characteristics for each species encountered. Make sure to bring binoculars and a note pad. Whether an experienced birder or a first-timer, these outings are guaranteed to be beneficial and of great interest to all participants.

This year's program has been developed and is being led by Assistant Volunteer Coordinator Worth McAlister, an AmeriCorps member, and will be executed with the help of RiverLink staff, area experts, and volunteers. For the full schedule of themes, dates, times, and locations see below or please visit http://www.riverlink.org/walktour.asp, or for any other questions regarding the program, contact Worth McAlister at worth@riverlink.org, or call at (828) 252-8474 x 17.